Rasmussen: Strong disapproval outstrips overall approval for first time

posted at 10:55 am on December 22, 2009 by Ed Morrissey

Normally, Rasmussen uses its Presidential Approval Index, or what I call the “passion index,” to measure the prevailing winds of popularity for Barack Obama’s presidency. It may need to change its metric to track when his overall approval manages to rise above the strong disapproval that has been growing in the second half of 2009. Those streams crossed for the first time today in Rasmussen’s daily tracking poll, as Obama dropped to 44% approval while strong disapproval rose to 46%:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 25% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-six percent (46%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21 That’s the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President (see trends).

Fifty-three percent (53%) of men Strongly Disapprove along with 39% of women. Most African-American voters (58%) Strongly Approve while most white voters (53%) Strongly Disapprove.

For the second straight days, the update shows the highest level of Strong Disapproval yet recorded for this President. That negative rating had never topped 42% before yesterday. However, it has risen dramatically since the Senate found 60 votes to move forward with the proposed health care reform legislation. Most voters (55%) oppose the health care legislation and senior citizens are even more likely than younger voters to dislike the plan.

The most worrisome trend remains the disaffection of independents. Independent voters not only put Obama into office, they gave the Democrats a majority in both chambers of Congress. Sixty-two percent of independents disapprove of Obama’s performance, and all but ten percent strongly. If they continue to register strong levels of disgust, Obama will still be President in 2011, but Nancy Pelosi won’t be Speaker of the House, and Obama will have to deal with a Republican Congress holding the pursestrings.

Rasmussen notes that the increase in disapproval came after the Senate hijinks this weekend, but that points up another interesting issue in this poll. Normally, weekends tend to be more sympathetic to Democrats on polls. Two of the three days of this survey were Saturday and Sunday, before Reid got his cloture vote. The bump Monday perhaps shows some of the reaction to that, but more will be coming in the next couple of days.

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I think this administration is determined to become the most hated administration in history. Their solution to being hated is to pass legislation and make decisions that people hate. It’s a good thing they are in the government because they wouldn’t make it in the private sector.

This liar and his henchmen have seized 30% of the US economy in less than a year. If the “healthcare” bill passes and the new financial controls pass, it will be up to 71%. This guy is a DANGEROUS DANGEROUS individual.

25% strongly favor dear leader…
their rose colored glasses are still on

cmsinaz on December 22, 2009 at 11:04 AM

You figure about 33% of the population is die-hard lefties. This number means he is losing his core. While this core would never vote for conservatives, they may stay home like conservatives unfortuantely did in 2006/08.

One term Precedent? I think if he gets socialized medicine going, he will have succeeded in his goal and could care less if he is re-elected. Zero can’t even deal w/ a Dem congress, just think how’d he deal w/ a GOP congress.

In the Healthcare legislation, the taxation starts several years before the program is implemented. What is the early tax money going to be used for? My guess; Obama is gonna need a hell of a lot of bribe money to get reelected.

They don’t care. They have they keys to the voting machines and that is the only poll that matters. It’s was harder for them to cheat in the off-year election last month, but they still pulled it off in NY-23.

That’s not right of him to do that switcheroo. AT least he is in the house and faces election in Nov. And, anyone who switches party with the gulf of principles between the two is immediately suspect in my mind.

Obama’s most recent whoppers are almost beyond belief! The audacity of his lies is stunning. I mean, he is shameless. The media never contests a single one. He tells substantive whopper after whopper after whopper and never a peep from the complicit media. It’s criminal.

You figure about 33% of the population is die-hard lefties. This number means he is losing his core. While this core would never vote for conservatives, they may stay home like conservatives unfortuantely did in 2006/08.

WashJeff on December 22, 2009 at 11:06 AM

I would love to see the RACIAL breakdown of this poll…if he still holds 95% of the 12.8% of Americans who are Black?

25% strongly approve?! Well, 13% of the U.S. is black so subtract them and you have the 12% who are the extreme lunatic fringe like my sister-in-law, who actually compared the public’s persecution of Obama to the persecution of Jesus in her Christmas letter.

Incoming meme: Specter was a patriot. He adhered to his core principles. The radical nature of the GOP gave him no other alternative. Griffith is merely an opportunistic traitor. And obviously a racist.

A bit off topic. Saw a brief piece of Obama presser or something yesterday. To frame, the HDTV is the most crisp tv viewing expereince for the consumer and the most unkind to those on the camera end. I have a new latest and greatest and this thing is amazing.

Anyway, BO is aging pretty fast. I was so stunned that i paid no attention to what he was saying (not the first time either) but was solely focused on how BO looked. Clearly, he did this without makeup and it showed. He looked horrible.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of men Strongly Disapprove along with 39% of women.

Meaning, I suppose, that somewhere in the neighborhood of 60% of women approve of the job he is doing? Sometimes I am embarrassed by my own gender.

But what a joyous day it will be indeed when SanFranNan is stripped of her Speakership. I will be dancing in the streets for certain as there is no one in Washington I loathe more than her — not even Teh One himself.

Hey, Barry. Get a clue. People didn\’t vote for you because they wanted government health care. If they wanted government health care they would have voted for Hillary. When you actually sign the bill, and then brag about it in your SOTU speech, just imagine how low, low, low your approval will go.

Have you seen obama in his recent interviews? He looked like he was ready to burst into tears during his Copenhagen statements. Yesterday’s clips were the worst though. He was whining about critics “carping” about his plans. He was ugly, the worst he’s appeared– sullen, thin-skinned– he was letting his true Barack out. It was unclear whether he was going to cry or collapse. He looks mean, nasty and like he’s overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. I was left wondering if he’d survive the next 3 years without a mental health hospitalization.

Despite all the reports of plunging approval ratings, all the attention to conservative blogs, angry calls to conservative talk shows, the attendance at Tea Parties, and despite the increasing rage and frustration many of us feel with the Obamunists, NOTHING has prevented them from further socializing our once great country with ObowmaCare.

We’ve been completely marginalized by these freaks, and we have absolutely no say in any of it. Makes me want to throw in the towel and stop following any of this sh*t. What’s the point? Anybody?

Yeah I saw that, he’s definitely coming unglued. And I also saw CNN’s complete and utter disconnect from reality come to a new level as they tried to spin this whole thing into a victory for him and treat him with all the compassion directed toward a five year old with an owie.